Patches are here to stay in gaming, and they are important for fixing huge errors, balancing live-service games, and removing online exploits being constantly abused. They also help games ship on time then get a little polish here, a little spit shine there later on. But it’s increasingly obvious that games are afraid to be imperfect, and that risks making them bor

Part of the tinkering feels like vanity too. In Horizon Forbidden West , Aloy was too chatty when she was alone , remarking that items will be sent back to storage (somehow?) and repeating the same few lines over and over. People said it was annoying, so it was taken out. But surely they knew it was annoying? Surely part of the point was to make Aloy endearing in this way? I’m sure people think Aloy shutting the hell up is an improvement, but mostly it just feels like fixing something for the sake of it. It doesn’t feel like developers have the license to be creative and eccentric if a few people joking around online is enough for the studio to mandate changing the game. Gaming is becoming more risk averse, not less, in the presence of a constant safety

I’ve not gotten stuck into a competitive FPS in years, so playing alongside PC players with a mouse advantage meant I was never going to cut it aim-wise. Fortunately, Junkrat’s bouncing bombastic balls don’t need precision. Just launch a volley of them into the general direction of the enemy team and damage is done. Skirmishes in Overwatch 2 events|https://overwatch2tactics.com/ 2 are far more chaotic than I thought they would be, so playing a hero that can just let the explosions fly helped me to ensure I was fulfilling the role of a DPS, even if I didn’t know exactly who I was hitt

This is perhaps one of the weirdest bugs you've ever seen. We've all been disconnected from games before, that's nothing new; however, D.Va players have been experiencing a very unusual phenomenon that's hard to expl

A progression system designed around completing challenges is meant to make you play longer, that’s it. Instead of playing a few games and logging off, many players will continue playing until they’ve finished their challenges. By offering a small number of challenges every day, games exploit the fear of missing out to ensure players keep logging in just so they don’t fall behind. Neither of these are player-friendly motivations. This is negative reinforcement disguised as positive reinforcem

"Do not let your children play Overwatch 2," said a Twitter user who came across this. "My 12 year old son found custom games within it, one called 'Sexual Harassment' and one game that simulated the female characters being raped. Thankfully my son realized it was bad, closed the game, and told me. Don't pl

His bear trap is wonderful too, though I’ve not quite figured out how best to incorporate it yet. For now, I like using it to cover my flank, as it alerts me when destroyed or activated, letting me know if someone’s trying to sneak up on me and my team. Both these abilities teach the importance of positioning with engaging mechanics. I’ve been learning where the key battlegrounds are because I’m experimenting and having fun, not just because people are shouting at me for being an idiot who’s going the wrong

But it’s a problem in single-player games too. If I’m losing a game in Marvel Snap I can retreat and I won’t lose as much rank, but if I have a challenge to play cards in the last turn, I have to see it through to the end, even when I know I’m going to lose. In these instances I have two competing objectives - win the game or play a six-cost card. When you’re playing as though you’re trying to do something other than win, you’re engaging in deviant play. Games should not encourage this, yet almost all of them

So, it seems Blizzard has sent out a survey to a few players to ask them what they think of the microtransactions , and why they haven't spent any money yet. They're mostly multiple choice questions asking players why they primarily bought the Premium Battle Pass, and to elaborate on the reasoning if they've not bought anything at

Blizzard revealed a new Tank class Hero for Overwatch 2 called Ramattra . Giving off Indian God vibes – thanks to the slight resemblance to Shiva and with 'Ram' in his name – his backstory revealed a close relationship with Zenyatta and the Omnic people. He comes with two different forms that can be changed on the fly – the offensive Nemesis form which gives him access to powerful punches, and the defensive Omnic form that gives him a barrier to protect his team. He’ll join the roster on Decembe

Challenges do not make games better, and the designers know that just as well as we do. When a game asks you to get three kills with a sniper rifle or win matches with a specific character, it isn’t trying to increase your enjoyment or help you improve. Challenges are nothing by hollow engagement boosters designed to increase player retention. Someone at the top of the ladder needs to see an increase in hours played month-over-month, and the fastest and dirtiest way to do that is to coerce players to complete daily challen